Vegetable Gardening (123 page)
Southern blight:
This rather nasty disease that affects corn is common in the southeastern United States. Southern blight causes plants to rot at the base of their stems, wilt, turn yellow, and die. Unfortunately, this disease is difficult to control. Your best bet is to rotate your crops each year, get rid of all infected plant material, and turn your soil in the fall. You also can try soil solarization, as described in Chapter 15.
My outlook on fungicides: Avoid 'em if you can
Chemical
fungicides
(substances that kill fungus) are a nastier bunch of pesticides. I prefer not to use them on my vegetables. If you get a really stubborn disease in a prized planting, however, you may have no other choice. Here's a short list of some of the "safer" ones:
is a new biological fungicide that attacks many fungal diseases, such as mildew and blight. This bacteria is safe for bees, birds, wildlife, and beneficial insects.As with any pesticide, follow the instructions on the label carefully and exactly.
Viruses:
These diseases affect many vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, peas, beans, cucumbers, beets, potatoes, and squash. When infected with a virus, leaves and fruits often have mottled yellow spottings and are deformed. Plants are stunted and die young, often not producing usable fruit. Virus diseases are sometimes specific to certain vegetables and spread by insects such as cucumber beetles (see Chapter 8 for more on controlling this pest), aphids, and whiteflies; stopping these pests many times stops the disease. You also should destroy infected plants and try to plant disease-resistant varieties.
Keeping the Animal Kingdom at Bay
Besides insects and diseases, you also should keep an eye out for the 2- and 4-footed pests described in this section. If you have problems with critters, be sure to properly identify the culprit; identification may take some late-night work with a flashlight. What control you use will depend on who's doing the damage.
As you read the control suggestions in this section, you'll notice that fencing is one of my most common recommendations. But even a sturdy fence isn't a 100-percent guarantee, so live trapping and relocating may be the only solution to an especially persistent woodchuck or raccoon. (Check with your state Fish and Game Department to find out whether it has any regulations governing the trapping of the animal you have in mind.) You can buy live traps at most hardware stores; get the appropriate size for the animal that you want to catch. After you have the animal in the trap, release it in areas recommended by your local state Fish and Game Department officials.
Letting your family dog or cat prowl your grounds to ward off wild animals may sound like a good idea, but, in reality, keeping your pets indoors or restrained is the best idea, especially when large animals are around. Rabies is a problem with many wild animals, such as raccoons, and some wildlife, such as woodchucks, which are ferocious fighters.
The following list identifies animal pests that are common to vegetable gardens. It also provides some methods to control these critters:
Birds:
Starlings and crows have an uncanny sense of where you planted your corn seeds. To keep birds from eating seeds or pulling up newly sprouted plants, protect your seedbed with a bird tunnel (see Figure 17-4) or a floating row cover. By the time the plants outgrow the cover, they're no longer appetizing to birds.
Figure 17-4:
Covering seedlings with a portable bird tunnel is a sure way to keep birds away.
